The second finals session at the 2017 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Friday wasn't short on action as 15 relay or individual event champions were crowned, and the University of St. Thomas put a little distance between itself and the rest of the field as the Tommies aim for a dual repeat.
There were impressive performances across the board with major highlights for nearly every MIAC team. One MIAC record and two meet records bit the dust Friday night, and MIAC swimmers achieved eight 2016 NCAA Selection Times and 13 NCAA B-cut times. The divers were just as impressive, with two NCAA A Qualifying scores and another six that met the B Qualifying standard.
The Tommie women were locked in a tight battle after Thursday, but surged to a triple-digit lead with 580 points after Friday's session. Gustavus is alone in second at 459.5, with Carleton (329) holding a slim lead on St. Olaf (297) for third. Saint Benedict (189.5) and St. Catherine (177) are engaged in a good battle for fifth, with Macalester (137), Hamline (113), Concordia (101), Saint Mary's (62) and Augsburg (58) rounding out the women's standings following Day 2.
St. Thomas continued to pull away in the men's team battle, with 611 points and more than a 200-point cushion. Gustavus (398) and St. Olaf (388) are locked in a thriller for second, with Saint John's (318) close behind. Carleton (229), Macalester (156), Hamline (129) and Saint Mary's (82) make up the rest of the men's standings following Friday's action.
Just like Thursday night, Friday started with a pair of St. Thomas relay wins, as the Tommies swept the 200-yard medley relay titles. The women – Tiana Molitor, Melissa Rose, Haley Cassens and Emma Paulson – won with a 2016 Selection Time of 1:43.71, and the men – Tom Negaard, Eric Schuld, Bailey Biwer and Mikey Solfelt – had a B-cut time of 1:31.01. Gustavus' women (1:45.56) had a B-cut time in second and Carleton (1:47.09) was third. St. Olaf (1:32.82) and Gustavus men (1:33.96) rounded out the men's top three.
The top individual highlight of the night came in the women's 400-yard individual medley as Carleton senior Maria Wetzel set a new MIAC and meet record with her 2016 Selection Time of 4:28.03. St. Olaf first-year Helen Jensen (4:29.89) was right on her heels with a 2016 Selection Time as well and St. Thomas' Nicole Herrli (4:34.02), Gustavus' Hayley Booher (4:34.17) – the three-time defending champ in the event – and Gustavus' Linnea Rizzo all had B-cut times. The men's 400-IM saw UST sophomore Max Larson win with a B-cut time of 4:06.24, with teammate Jason Tri (4:07.54) in second and Carleton's Alex Mathson in third (4:08.49).
The Ole women got their top moment courtesy of Claire Walters (56.26) and 2016 Selection Time in the 100-yard butterfly, with St. Thomas' Katelyn Strauss (56.69) meeting the B cut and two-time defending champ Kate Reilly of Gustavus (57.12) a close third. The men's 100-fly saw four UST swimmers – and five of the top six – atop the podium, led by Bailey Biwer (49.11, B cut), Nick Cox (49.49, B cut) and Omar Omar (51.16).
The 200-yard freestyle was a St. Thomas sweep, with Alex Howard winning the women's title with a B-cut time of 1:52.81 and Warren Melton successfully defended his men's championship with a B-cut time of 1:40.21. Carleton grabbed second- and third-place finishes in the women's race thanks to Caroline Mather (1:53.76) and Alex Braiedy (1:54.42), while Gustavus' Matt Allison (1:41.30) and UST's Luke Schneeman (1:42.85) added top-three men's finishes.
In the 100-yard breaststroke, Gustavus' Tanner Sonnek delivered another outstanding performance, setting a new meet record with a winning 2016 Selection Time of 55.10. St. Olaf's Nathaniel France also met the 2016 Selection time (55.98) and St. Thomas' Colin Glass (57.10) was third. Carleton rookie Ada Meyer gave the Knights more to cheer about with a win in the women's 100-breast with a time of 1:05.34, with St. Thomas teammates Melissa Rose (1:05.91) and Ashley Christiansen (1:06.01) in second and third.
St. Thomas' Emma Paulson delivered another outstanding performance, as the reigning MIAC and National Swimmer-of-the-Year won her third-straight 100-yard backstroke title in 55:39, which met the 2016 Selection Time. Teammate Kirsten Nelson had a B-cut time of 57.21 in second and St. Olaf's Kelly Punyko (57.61) was third. Youth was served in the men's 100-back as St. Olaf rookie John Loepfe won with a 2016 Selection Time of 49.48, with teammate Abe Eyman Casey in third (51.61) and St. Thomas' Tom Negaard (50.81) splitting the difference in second.
The women's 3-meter diving final was an instant classic between two competitors that own the last three MIAC Diver-of-the-Year awards. St. Catherine's Jenna Nagy and St. Olaf's Courtney Miller dueled to the final dive, with Nagy pulling out a thrilling win, 451.75 to 448.90. St. Thomas' Kellie Pruitt rounded out the top three with her score of 359.95. Nagy and Miller both met the NCAA A Qualification Score, while Pruitt and the other five finalists all met the B Qualification Score.
St. Thomas stayed perfect in the relay events with a sweep in the 800-freestyle relay to close Friday's session. The men's team of Bailey Biwer, Brady Anderson, Luke Schneeman, Warren Melton had a B-cut time of 6:47.08, while the women's squad of Katelyn Strauss, Alex Howard, Kate Smarjesse, Molly Vancil won with a time of 7:40.08. St. Olaf (6:59.99) and Gustavus (7:01.24) joined the men's top three, and those two flipped in the women's 800-free relay with the Gusties (7:49.19) second and Oles (7:52.51) third.
Following each of Friday evening's races, a short awards ceremony was held to honor the top eight finishers. The top three finishers in each event received medals and automatically earn All-Conference honors. Friday's All-Conference honorees are listed below.
The meet will conclude with two more sessions Saturday. The morning sessions will begin at 10:30 a.m. (doors at 9 a.m.) and will feature preliminary races. Saturday's championship doors will open at 2:30 p.m. for preliminary heats of the 1,650-yard freestyle and diving, with the final session beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Men's Team Scores (after day two)
1. St. Thomas - 611
2. Gustavus - 398
3. St. Olaf - 388
4. Saint John's - 318
5. Carleton - 229
6. Macalester - 156
7. Hamline - 129
8. Saint Mary's - 82
Women's Team Scores (after day two)
1. St. Thomas - 580
2. Gustavus - 459.5
3. Carleton - 329
4. St. Olaf - 297
5. Saint Benedict - 189.5
6. St. Catherine - 177
7. Macalester - 137
8. Hamline - 113
9. Concordia - 101
10. Saint Mary's - 62
11. Augsburg - 58
